During the Finals of the Iraq’s Aziz Football (Soccer) Championship ceremony, Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim said, “This championship is distinguished with Iraq’s presence in all its components, and the Iraqi athletic establishment is invited to benefit from its t

Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim, Head of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI), stressed that the Iraq’s Aziz Championship is distinguished by being attended by Iraq in all its hues, spectrums and components, regarding sports as part of life, rather, life itself because it makes blood flow in man’s veins, stressing the importance of the Iraq’s Aziz Championship in supporting the Iraqi teams with talents and inviting the athletic establishment in Iraq to benefit from these talents. This came up at his Baghdad office on Tuesday, October 30, 2012 during the ceremony of the Iraq’s Aziz Fourth Football Championship.His Eminence described the teams that are qualified for the finals to be the elite that has the driving desire to reach the goal since they are the sum-up of 5,000 popular teams that competed to reach the finals, pointing out that when the will power is present in man, it lifts him and soars with him, stressing that all teams that reached the finals are winning ones.

The Head of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq pointed out to competition as a human, Islamic and Qur’anic idea to reach the sublime goals and the high degrees as the Qur’an describes those who compete for Paradise, explaining that reaching the supreme objectives is done through conviction and commitment after which comes the grace of Allah Almighty on man so he may reach perfection and sophistication, explaining the goal behind narratives stressing that horse riding, swimming and shooting as the types of sports that release the hiding places of strength in man, help the body and the soul grow in addition to social benefits, emphasizing that sports must bear an impact on man’s life.

Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim referred to a number of sacred narratives about the Holiest Prophet (Ú) and the Pure Imams, peace with him, that talk about the merit of sports and objective competing. His Eminence warned against conceit which afflicts athletes when they win, expressing his happiness for these teams, which represent Iraq in all its spectrums, having reached the finals, hoping the championship will be utilized for building ourselves and our homelands. He called for looking after women’s sports while maintaining modesty, stressing that the Iraqi government and state as well as the athletic institution are interested in supporting women’s sports.On his part, Mr. Hamid al-Mousawi, general secretary of the Martyr al-Hakim Foundation for Youths and Sports, thanked His Eminence, Ammar al-Hakim, for supporting and continuously monitoring the success of the championship. He pointed out that the experiences the Foundation has in administering the major championships are presented before the Iraqi sports establishment to benefit from them, stressing that the Fifth Iraq’s Aziz Championship will be launched the next year in a new outfit.It must be indicated that the teams that have been qualified for the finals came from various governorates of Iraq: Mosul, Salahuddin, Anbar, Kirkuk, Diyala, Mid-Euphrates governorates, southern governorates and the capital, Baghdad. The ceremony witnessed several activities, including sports cantos presented by the Islamic Wafa Band.